1871.] MR. J. GOULD ON SIX NEW HUMMING-BIRDS. 503 



6. Descriptions of six new Humming-birds. 

 By John Gould, F.R.S. 



[Received May 16, 1871.] 



The first is a species of the genus Helianthea, lately sent to this 

 country by Mr. Henry Whitely, who is at this moment pursuing 

 his zoological researches in Peru ; the remaining five have been in 

 my collection for some time. It will be remembered that Mr. 

 Whitely was also the discoverer of that highly curious and inter- 

 esting Humming-bird which I characterized in the ' Proceedings ' 

 of this Society for 1869, p. 295, as Oreonympha nobilis ; and I would 

 here bear testimony to the zeal and perseverance with which he is 

 investigating the distant and almost untrodden parts of the country 

 in which he is now located, and wherein there are doubtless many 

 novelties yet to be discovered in every branch of zoological science. 



Helianthea osculans, Gould. 



Crown of the head, viewed anteriorly, black, with a spot of bril- 

 liant green on the forehead, as in //. bonapartei ; back and upper 

 tail-coverts bronzy green ; shoulders golden brown ; primaries pur- 

 plish black, the exterior web of the first bun" ; throat and breast 

 brilliant green, with a patch of an equally brilliant blue in the 

 centre of the former ; abdomen buff, tinged and mottled with green ; 

 thighs buffy white ; under tail-coverts light buff ; tail-feathers deep 

 buff, tinged with green at the tip, especially the two centre ones ; 

 bill black. 



Total length 5| inches ; bill 1-|, wing 3g, tail 2g, tarsi \. 



Hub. Ecachupata and Huasampilla in Peru ; collected by Mr. 

 Henry Whitely. 



Remark. This new species is about the same size as H. violifera, 

 but differs from that bird in having a stouter and longer bill, by the 

 spot on the forehead being larger, and green instead of blue ; by the 

 tips of the tail-coverts and tail-feathers being tinged with olive-green, 

 and by the breast being of a more brilliant green, and destitute of 

 any crescentic greyish-white mark across the chest. 



Heliangelus squamigularis, Gould. 



Bill straight and black ; crown of the head, viewed anteriorly, 

 black, posteriorly golden green ; on the forehead a faint indication 

 of a glittering spot or bar ; throat shining oil-green, bordered on each 

 side with an obscure line of black when viewed anteriorly ; abdomen 

 green ; under tail-coverts grey, with green centres ; thighs greenish 

 white ; toes black ; upper part of the back green, passing into the 

 brighter green of the rump and upper tail-coverts ; two central tail- 

 feathers green, the remainder black ; tail slightly forked ; wings 

 purplish brown. 



Total length 3| inches ; bill ff, wing 2\, tail 1]. 



Ilab. Columbia. 



Remark. I should have considered this curious bird a lusus, 



